Lonely Planet Discover Japan

I travel extensively but have nevered used a Lonely Planet guide before this one. This is an easy to use, informative guide to Japan chock full of maps and gorgeous color pictures. The country is broken down into color coded areas. Each section begins with highlights of each area selected by local guides and authors. These highlights include sights, walks, food etc. Before proceeding to more detailed information on the highlights and other attractions there is a page devoted to a 'Best Of' such as Best Places to Contemplate, Best Places to Stay, Best Places to Walk and more. Then there is a "Things You Need to Know Page' including vital statistics, emergency phone numbers, information on getting around and 'Be Forewarned' information. There is also plenty of information on history, culture and food. The book itself begins with Japan's Top 25 Experiences and suggested travel itineraries. Altogether an outstanding travel guide.

DISCOVER JAPAN by Rowthorn, Bender, Firestone, Hornyak, Walker, Warham, and Yanaghihara, is a 400 page book printed on semi-glossy paper. Almost every page has at least one color photograph. MULTITUDES OF MAPS. Maps are found on pages 2, 8-9, 33, 35, 37, 53, 64-65, 66, 68, 70, 72, 83, 89, 93,99, 103, 112-113, 115, 116, 120, 124, 130, 150, 152, 157, and so on. It is evident that the authors want the readers to be well-oriented, as far as sense of direction is concerned. ART AND ARCHITECTURE. Photographs of art, e.g., statues and paintings, can be found on pages 4, 17, 58, 74, 86, 92, 94, 100, 104, 107, 142, and so on. Photographs of architecture, for example, temples, are found on on pages 3, 12, 14, 16, 25, 57, 88, 101, 102, 105, 106, 119, 122, 132, and so on. I was disappointed not to see any photographs of the trio of monkeys known as THE THREE EVILS, located at Nikkô Tôshô-gû that is a Shinto shrine located in Nikkô, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Tôshô-gû is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate NATURAL LANDSCAPE. The book also provides coverage of the natural landscape. Therefore, travelers interested in mountains, hiking trails, waterfalls, natural stone formations, and such, will find solace in this comprehensive guidebook. The book's disclosure of natural wonders includes a mangrove swamp (page 290), trees that resemble California redwoods (page 290), mossy trees (p. 299), sea stacks (p. 311), coral reefs (p. 38, 319), ski resorts (p. 354-356), the "Japanese Alps" (p. 18, 28, 41, 166-175, 183-185), exotic islands (p. 21, 38), mountain hiking (p. 29), Mt.Fuji (p. 33, 88-92), rock formations (p. 244), and volcanic scenes (p. 251). Obviously, these disclosures represent only a fraction of what might be of interest to the traveler. OTHER NOTABLE THINGS. The writing also discloses notable festivals, fish markets, shrines, museums, special neighborhoods in Tokyo, and even notable traffic intersections (Shibuya) (page 71). I believe that this same traffic intersection is featured in the movie, BARAKA. HISTORY. The book provides tidbits of ancient history here and there, e.g., "Kyoto was first settled in the 7th centry and by 794 it became the capital of Japan" (page 110), and "Takayama was established in the late 16th century as the castle town of the Kanamori clan but in 1692 it was placed under control of headquarters in Edo." (page 176). CONCLUSION. Every aspect of this book inspires further interest in Japan. This is a great little encyclopedia. Comment | Permalink

All in all, I am pleased I picked up this copy of "Discover Japan" and will look for other travel books published by Lonely Planet for my travel needs. I generally use AAA travel books, but find myself enjoying this travel book much more. Perfect for the business or leisure traveler, this sturdy travel book covers everything you would want or need to know about Japan. From the best places to stay and eat to the "can't miss" attractions, highlights, transportation, celebrations, etc. - everything is laid out in detail including: hours of operation, pricing, etc. The maps are very clear and instructive, too. You also get an excellent compact history lesson about each place as you flip through the pages. The book is color-coded to make navigating it's pages to your exact interest very easy. One section highlights "Japan's Top Itineraries" to give the time-constrained traveler options for the "perfect" tour of Japan as a whole. This section is followed by "Japan's Best" covering the best Temples, Gardens, Hikes, Beaches, Markets & Shopping Districts and Places to Stay. Journeying past the Introduction, you delve into each section of Japan: Northern Honshu & Hokkaido; Central Honshu; Tokyo Area; Kyoto & Kansai; Western Honshu, Shikoku & Kyushu; Okinawa & the Southwest Islands. Again, each area is color coded making it very easy to find and navigate through highlights, itineraries, getting around, eateries, etc. As a mom of two young children, I also enjoyed the concise section on "Family Travel." It gives assurances of the kid-friendliness of Japan while addressing concerns that I might have about traveling with my children. TRAVELER BONUS: I enjoyed the Language guide to help the English-only traveler communicate with locals. Simple phrases (such as "Do you speak English", "I'm ill" and "I'm looking for..") are printed phonetically in English giving the traveler the ability to help himself/herself when needed. TEACHER'S BONUS Every year our students do a "Nations Notebook." They research a country of their choice and talk about a variety of things including: Local Cuisine, Culture, Traditions, Festivals, etc. of their chosen country. I was impressed with the thoroughness and creativity of this perfect travel book. The full color pages keep the attention of my elementary students. Information is compact, so the students aren't bored with non-essential fillers that you might find in other books.

Lonely Planet's Discover Japan contains excellent reviews, vivid color photographs, and insightful 'insider tips' on how to have an unforgettable experience in this enchanting island nation. This is an up-to-date and thorough guide that I would recommend to anyone wishing to visit Japan.

I am new to Lonely Planet travel guides so I got this guide for Japan with no preconceived notions as to what I should find inside. From the description I expected it to have a lot of pictures, some maps and to list the major highlights when traveling in Japan. My expectations have been exceeded. First off, this is a travel guide, not an exhaustive encyclopedia on Japan and Japanese culture so it is important to remember this when using this book. It is not intended to be an exhaustive handbook. That said, there is a ton of information within, sufficient to keep all but the most particular of travelers busy. The information is broken up into 6 geographic regions. They are, in order: 1. Tokyo Area, 2. Kyoto and Kansai, 3. Central Honshu, 4. Northern Honshu and Hokkaido, 5. Western Honshu and Kyushu, and 6. Okinawa and the Southwest Islands. Each of these sections have numerous photographs, maps, a brief history, lists of sights to see and activities, travel information, hotels, restaurants and a whole lot more. The photos are full color and are excellent representations of the people and places. The maps are ok and are sufficient for basic navigation, though personally I would have liked some extra detail. There is a separate section called Japan in Focus and it includes some fascinating information regarding culture, cuisine, and some special activities available while visiting Japan. The last section in the guide includes some handy information of a more utilitarian nature such as ATM use, required vaccinations, customs, and holidays among other topics of interest. If you are planning a trip to Japan and want to do some advanced planning, this is an excellent guide to Japan with a short primer on customs and culture mixed in. It is not an exhaustive reference but it's not supposed to be. Using this book as a starting point in your planning, you better your possibilities for enjoying your trip.